New Arrivals: His Expectant Mistress: Accidentally Pregnant! / One-Night Pregnancy / One Tiny Miracle...

“This is for you,” she said in English, handing him the bag.

His face came alive in anticipation. “Two presents?” he said in the same language.

She understood what he meant. “Yes. Go ahead and open it.”

He quickly pulled the little tied box out of the sack and undid it. Beneath the lid lay six chocolate bocci balls. “Stupendo! Grazie, signorina.”

“Di niente, Dino.” She’d heard that expression often enough. “Call me Irena.”

Dino gave her another hug, then offered them both a chocolate. Irena declined hers, knowing how much he loved them, but his father had no reservations and popped one in his mouth. Dino followed suit.

“Delizioso,” they both said at the same time. Just then she got an inkling of what Vincenzo would have been like when he was an irrepressible boy Dino’s age. The image would always stay with her.

They settled down to a couple more rounds of pickup sticks, then Vincenzo made the announcement that they had to go. “Your mama is expecting you, and Irena and I have to drive back to Riomaggiore this evening.” To her relief, Dino didn’t act upset they had to go.

“The game is yours, Dino.” She put it in the sack and handed it to him. In his other hand he had his bag of chocolate and they left the room.

In a minute they were on their way to the villa. Irena was content to listen while the two of them kept up a rapid conversation in Italian. Dino had a dozen questions, firing one after the other.

It was like déjà vu when they drove up in the courtyard and Vincenzo told her he’d be right back. Except that this time Irena got out of the car to give Dino another hug and say goodbye. “Arrivederci, Dino.” She was determined to learn Italian as fast as she could.

He grinned in delight. “Arrivederci, Irena.”

The die was cast. Irena had committed herself. There was no going back. Vincenzo was forced to suppress his euphoria as Mila herself answered the door, ready to castigate him. But for once Dino didn’t seem to notice the tension coming from her.

“Guess what, Mama? Irena gave me presents. She and Papa are getting married and I get to watch!”

“Why don’t you go up for your bath?” Vincenzo suggested. “I need to talk to your mama.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow night and let you know everything that’s happening, okay?”

“Okay. Ciao, Papa.” He raced up the stairs with a new spring in his step.

Vincenzo eyed his ex-wife. Beneath her anger she looked anxious, and with good reason. Since their divorce she’d had everything her way, but now that he was getting married, they could tear up the existing visitation agreement. “Thank you for letting me take him this evening. As you can see, it was important.”

“I want to meet her.”

“If you wish. Where’s your husband?”

“Leo’s in Rome.”

“Shall I bring her in, or do you want to walk out to the car?”

Without answering him verbally, she moved past him and headed for the Fiat. Irena could see them coming and got out. She’d never looked more beautiful to him than right now standing there poised and elegant without being aware of it.

“Mila Ricci? May I present Irena Spiros from Athens,” he said in English. “She doesn’t speak Italian so we’ll speak in English.”

“How do you do,” Irena said and shook Mila’s hand. “You have a wonderful boy in Dino.”

“Thank you,” Mila answered in a brittle voice. She thrust Vincenzo an icy stare. In Italian she said, “How do you expect Dino to handle the situation when she can’t even speak Italian?”

“She’ll learn. Dino’s anxious to teach her.”

“I won’t stand for it, Vincenzo.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re going to have to.”

“This won’t change visitation.”

She was in for a huge shock. Ignoring her warning he said, “You’re being rude in front of my fiancée, Mila.”

Her cheeks flared with color before she addressed Irena. “Do you have any experience with children?”

“No, but when Dino is with us, I’ll try my hardest to make him happy.”

Mila just found out Irena was a woman of high-class and breeding. It was impossible to fight good manners without looking like a shrew.

To Mila he said, “My attorney will be contacting yours. By Tuesday you’ll know all my plans. Ciao, Mila.”

Leaving her to digest that bit of news, he helped Irena back into the car. By the time he’d walked around to the driver’s seat, Mila had gone back into the villa.

“I feel sorry for her.” Irena spoke once they’d reached the main road. “I don’t think there’s a mother alive who wouldn’t feel threatened to know her child was going to be around the influence of another woman on a part-time basis.”

He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Perhaps now you have an inkling of how I felt when Mila remarried.”

She nodded sadly. “Life shouldn’t be this way.”

“You mean everything should be perfect where every child gets to live with its own mother and father until he or she is happily married off and the whole wonderful process starts all over again?”

“Something like that,” she whispered.

“You’ve already gotten a taste of what it’s going to be like dealing with Mila. I’m glad she insisted on meeting you.”

“So am I.”

“In case her behavior has given you second thoughts, let me know now. I’ll phone Dino to tell him there’s been a change in plans. I don’t want him to go to sleep tonight thinking that something’s going to happen he’s been wanting for such a long time.”

“I don’t understand. Why would your getting married make such a difference to him?”

“My story’s as convoluted as yours. When I divorced Mila, I had to give up a lot to win my freedom from her. Dino was the main casualty, of course. He was so hurt by the tension in our impossible marriage, divorce was the only solution. But both our families disowned me over it.”

“Are you joking?”

“I wish I were. If I wanted to see my child, I had to agree to abide by the severe stipulations she set up.”

“Couldn’t a judge have interceded?”